Defence

A collection of articles on defence published on The India Forum.

Pahalgam, Sindoor and After

Pakistan’s army has an interest in provoking India for it can then rally the masses to its side. But over time domestic antagonism to the “khakis” will only grow, which could then change the dynamics…
▶18-Jun-2025
Kesava Menon

Fragile Peace, War, and the People on the Border

The most recent round of India-Pakistan hostilities reaffirmed a stark truth—for border residents, war is a zero-sum game. They gain nothing, but lose their safety, property, livelihoods, and even…
▶30-May-2025
Nazir Ahmad Mir

The Indus Water Wars: What Comes Next?

India has a strong case to revise the Indus Waters Treaty. But how it gets Pakistan onto the table will cast a shadow on its water-sharing deals with China and Bangladesh.
▶29-May-2025
Raag Yadava

Dehumanisation in a Time of War Hysteria

The loyalty-treachery divide in India silences voices of peace at home. State propaganda merges with public discourse, and war’s influence permeates civilian thought. By dehumanising people into…
▶21-May-2025
Anand Teltumbde

Strategic Thinking and the Nuclear Garden Path

The recent conflagration between India and Pakistan urges us to reflect once again on the logic of nuclear deterrence and its false assurances of safety. Taking off from the movie “Dr. Strangelove”,…
▶15-May-2025
Jean Drèze
Book
Book Review

Fabricating Homeland Security in India

In the wake of 26/11, Indian officials were broadly convinced that the security failure required resort to Israel’s special expertise. A new book evaluates the attempted partnership between the two…
▶23-Sep-2024
Achin Vanaik

The Politician and the Soldier

Dispassionate and truthful introspection is routine in the armed forces. Can the political class now do the same – for the country and the forces?
▶12-Aug-2024
Bhopinder Singh

A Courtship in which India and the US are Playing Each Other

The US seeks Indian support for its geopolitical strategy while India wants to maintain a certain ‘non-alignment’ and yet increase defence purchases. For domestic audiences, the symbolism of Modi’s…
▶20-Jun-2023
Atul Mishra

Is India the Arms Exporter it Claims to Be?

The government's desire to project India as a significant defence exporter are more apparent on paper than in the order books.
▶03-Dec-2022
Urvashi Sarkar

The Message from Agnipath: India Can’t Afford the Military it Needs

The signals that the Agnipath scheme sends to India’s adversaries is that under the current dispensation India is unable to provide for the armed forces what the country needs to meet its strategic…
▶13-Jul-2022
Sushant Singh